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Mayor Vidal names new Manager of Safety

Mayor Vidal names new Manager of Safety

DENVER, CO ­— Monday, March 7, 2011 — Mayor Guillermo (Bill) Vidal has announced the selection of Charles F. Garcia as Manager of Safety. Garcia will assume the post when current Manager of Safety Mary Malatesta retires from the position on March 16, 2011.

Garcia is currently serving as Special Counsel to Governor John Hickenlooper, assisting the Governor on Judicial Appointments for the State of Colorado, a role previously held by Garcia in Governor Ritter’s administration. Garcia also serves as the Chair of the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission (CPCC), regularly working with Commission members including Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman, Director Gary Wilson of the Denver Sheriff Department and Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Garcia retired in 2007 as the Office Head for the Denver Office of the Colorado State Public Defender.

Priorities for Garcia in the role of Manager of Safety will include resolving discipline cases still awaiting closure, forming the Discipline Advisory Group, the body that will develop the discipline matrix for Denver Fire, and identifying additional budget savings for 2011 and 2012.

“We are confident that Charley will provide solid leadership for the Department of Safety,” Mayor Vidal said. “Charley shares my firm commitment to expediting the unresolved cases involving Safety personnel. He is a true champion of justice with an outstanding record of service, including a run of 23 years with the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. The entire team is looking forward to working with Charley and benefitting from his expertise.”

The Manager of Safety oversees the Department of Safety and is the civilian authority over the Denver Police, Fire and Sheriff Departments. The Manager of Safety is responsible for oversight of the Public Safety Budget; Denver Police, Fire, and Sheriff; Cadet Program; Safety Recruitment; Discipline and Promotions; Denver 911; Safe City Office; Community Corrections; EEO and Records Management; and the Crime Prevention and Control Commission. The Manager of Safety also issues special police commissions and, as de-facto sheriff for the City and County of Denver, issues concealed weapons permits.

“I am fully prepared to serve the citizens of Denver in this critical capacity, using accountability and transparency as the foundation for all of my work,” said Garcia. “I am dedicated to completing the work done by Manager Malatesta and former Manager LaCabe on the disciplinary cases still open in the Department. I absolutely recognize the importance of bringing closure to these matters.”

About Charles F. Garcia: Garcia is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a teacher for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Garcia was appointed in 2011 to the Colorado Juvenile Parole Board, serves as treasurer of the Colorado Bar Association and is a CBA representative to the ABA House of Delegates. Garcia sits on the Judicial Advisory Council of the Colorado Supreme Court, the Board of the Colorado Access to Justice Commission and the Governor’s Community Corrections Advisory Council. In 2007 Garcia taught constitutional and comparative law in Ukraine with the Center for International Studies based in Austria, and in 2009 worked with the Center for Education in Law and Democracy in the Dominican Republic. Garcia was recently appointed by Chief Justice Bender to his new Chief Justice’s Commission on the Legal Profession.